Livestock nutrition business Harbro has acquired Cargill animal nutrition & health’s business in Dalton, North Yorkshire, which produces feed for the pig sector.
The acquisition includes both the feed plant and associated operations and represents a further shake-up in the feed sector, after ABN announced it is to exit the pig and poultry sectors a few weeks ago.
Cargill’s Dalton business includes a well-invested manufacturing facility, developed first by Provimi and then by Cargill over many years with a strong focus on people, quality, compliance, and operational excellence, Harbro said, adding that it will continue to invest in the site and its people to ‘ensure a continuation of the highest standards of quality, safety, regulatory compliance and nutritional leadership’.
It will continue to operate as a separate company, while the two teams work together to ensure a smooth integration of systems and processes, which is expected to be completed by early 2027.
Harbro said it will ‘combine international insight, technical expertise, and the strengths of both businesses to develop a leading proposition for our customers and the wider livestock industry’. The acquisition represents an important step in its growth strategy, extending the company’s reach, broadening its product offering, strengthening its supply chain, and adding further depth of expertise across species, manufacturing, innovation and animal performance.
Chris Baxter, CEO of Harbro, said: “We are delighted to welcome Cargill Dalton’s team into the Harbro Group. The capability, expertise and standards within the business make it an excellent fit for Harbro and will allow us to expand our offering, strengthen our customer relationships, and deliver even greater value across the UK market.”
“By combining the strengths of both teams, we are excited to enhance our nutritional solutions and support improved performance for farmers, wholesale partners and the wider livestock industry.”
Helene Ziv-Douki, senior vice president of Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health EMEAI & Global Salmon, said:
“We thank our Dalton team and their commitment to serving the animal nutrition market in the UK. This is the right time to transition the business to Harbro, allowing both organisations to focus on where they can have the greatest impact for their customers. We look forward to continuing to partner with them in the future.”
Harbro runs multiple manufacturing sites across the UK, producing quality feeds for beef, sheep, dairy, pig and poultry, alongside a fleet of vehicles offering a leading on-farm mobile milling and mixing service. It also has network of Harbro Country Stores, Orkney Hub and Murray Farmcare stores throughout Scotland and the North of England.
Harbro said bringing Cargill’s Dalton business into the group will allow both businesses to build on their ‘strong alignment’ in approach to building long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers, while creating new opportunities.